1946. girls at a very early age. It appears to be yielded to quite without resistance just as the [obscured] desire for food is yielded to. It is more common in the high-grade than in the low-grade. Moral Failure. In my opinion this does not exist, so far as it is understood to mean a characteristic due to inborn defect, apart from mental failure. Some crimes are put down to moral failure which have nothing at all to do with morality, where the feebl-minded are concerned: - as for instance, stealing and lying; these are morally wrong in normal persons but in the feeble-minded are often merely inconvenient habits which must be guarde[sic] against. The feeble-minded have often no more purpose in their stealing than a magpie has. They are acquisitive and they cannot control their desire to acquire. As to lying, low-grade cases are not capable of distinguishing truth from untruth. They are no more wicked because they are untruthful than the infant who relates his dreams as true. Of course, motive must be considered. If a child lies to save itself from punishmen[sic] or to get a comrade into trouble, it is to that extent normal and naughty. If it steal for its own advantage the same argument applies: - but feeble-minded thieves rarely have any advantage from their thefts. With regard to crimes of sexual and other passion the failure comes in the lack of power of inhibition. There is a class of defectives who seem to have instincts which are asocial; fortunately it is much smaller than is generally supposed. Those who belong this class are aware that they are doing wrong and are attracted by the very wrongness. Such people are extremely conceited and self-conscious; they will do anything to attract attention. For instance - they sham illness. If punished it seems likely they would rather be punished than let alone. They will own up to their crimes and whilst professing deep penitence will evidently be proud of themselves. They are highly inventive and occasionally have very strong religious [end]